Tuesday, November 29, 2011

It has been a while since I have done a proper update regarding my Dogs of War army and honestly, until recently I haven’t had anything to discuss. That changed over the past few weeks as I have officially registered for Adepticon 2012 and the Waaagh Casts January 2012 Tournament. Prior to registering for the Waaagh Cast Tournament, my plan was to focus on Tomb Kings and Chaos Dwarves for Adepticon, but since the Waaagh Cast Tournament is 2200 points, I knew neither of the mentioned armies would be at a point that they could be fielded at that size, so I returned to my beloved Dogs of War.

One of the first decisions I needed to make was that any preparation for the Waagh Cast tournament would need to pay-off for me at Adepticon as I don’t have the time to work on 3 armies. This meant that I needed to put the Tomb Kings aside for now as the Chaos Dwarves will also be used in the Team Tournament at Adepticon. With that decision made, the next one was coming up with a new theme for my Dogs of War army that fits the existing color scheme, but would contain all new models for Adepticon. The army also needs to be strong and creative to give me a chance at winning another award at the afternoon session of the 1000 point tournament.

To this end, I have decided to dedicate my time to building the cavalry army that I have dreamt about for the last few years. Generally speaking, I have thrown the idea of such a list around using different army books. Tomb Kings, Orcs & Goblins, Chaos, and Empire have all been potential options for me when it comes to this theme. In the end, Dogs of War just seems to be the proper list for this theme as I can do a couple of things that are not possible with the books I have listed (though Lietpold the Black does seem to be another potential solution).

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Between the new Necron codex and Tamurkhan: The Throne of Chaos, I have had plenty to read on flights this month. While I am still digesting both books, I thought I would share some of my thoughts about the new Necron codex. I have been a long time fan of the necrons, still owning a full size army from back when they were released in second edition. The concept of machine men who could repair on the battlefield and had mysterious motives was just one that grabbed at my imagination. When the full codex was released in 3rd edition, I quickly developed a new color scheme and built a force that fit my approach to the game. I enjoyed playing them for years, but eventually my interest in 40K waned and the necrons went into storage. Now, two editions later and a new book in my hands, I am again exploring whether or not to crank up the Pink Flyod and sing along to “Welcome to the Machine”.

One of the first things noticeable about the new book is that GW was determined to expand every aspect of the necrons. From the fluff, to the models, to the play styles, the necrons have more options than ever before. While in general this was a good idea, the execution could have been better on all accounts. When it came to the fluff (die kitty, die), there are some interesting changes, but the handling of the C’tan was such a swing in the opposite direction from the last book that I found it disappointing. While the changes to the C’tan were disappointing, the changes to how the necrons travel about the galaxy and the idea of the Dolmen Gates was such a huge departure from prior fluff that I found myself angry the first couple times I read it. Outside of those points, I general like the new fluff and think the addition of tomb worlds and different dynasties was a smart one and can only help broaden the appeal of the army.

Moving past the fluff into the actual army list, I felt a sense of subdued excitement as I read each unit. I was happy to see new things, but most of the new stuff felt old already and with the exception of the new flyers and lychguard, nothing that grabbed at me or sung for my attention.

(Side Note:Since I have noticed a recent spike in new followers, I just want to mention that I tend to focus more on what interests me from a modeling or hobby standpoint than an actual tactical one. I do look at and explore tactics, but my first impressions are based more on what makes me want to sit down and paint and write stories than what will win me battles.)

I think the problem for me when it came to most of the new units was that GW didn’t take any real risks with them. What I think I was hoping for were units that were scary, but balanced in some fashion to the old phase out rules. You didn’t have to beat the whole army, just enough to scare them off. I know a lot of people didn’t like phase out, but I always thought it was a very cool army rule and forced me to play differently from other armies. The new units just seem more like an exercise in designing stuff to meet a checklist. Necrons need a couple of transports, check. Necrons need another troop choice, check.

Moving past my initial disappointment, I do admit that I like the new tesla rules. I am toying with ideas on how I can build an army themed around the new weapon type. I also think that the new flyers are very cool, but since they were not part of the first wave of releases, I will hold off on including them until a proper kit is available. Finally, I think the crypteks and lycheguards make for some fun additions and give the army a couple of cool ways to play. I especially like the dispersion shields and cannot wait to use them on the battlefield.

In the end, the necrons are still my favorite army in 40K. The new book gives me more options, even if many of those options are not that exciting for me. I think from a tournament standpoint, the new book is competitive, but more on the scale of the new Dark Eldar book and not the Grey Knights. As a person who likes to design different themed armies, I can see potential with the new book and look forward to developing them as more models are released.

Monday, November 21, 2011

While flying to and from Phoenix last week, I read the new Warhammer Forge book Tamurkhan. While I am still writing my review of the book, I thought it would be fun to post a couple of the fun references and allusions in the book.

SPOILERS

1. Cathay: There is a cool story about a Chaos warband attacking a Cathay outpost.
2. Fimir: There are allusions to them during one part of the story.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

This is my draft list for the PM edition of the Adepticon 1000 point tournament. This is list is designed to use Lietpold the Black as my only character and his rule that allows me to include one core choice from either the Brettonian, Ogre Kingdoms, or Dwarves book. The general idea is that everything has Movement 7 and every model with the exception of Lietpold (which is a breathtaking FW model) will be a conversion.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

This is my draft list for the AM edition of Adepticon's 1000 point tournament. My goal with the army is to design it sit back and shoot until the enemy gets close enough that I am forced to engage in close combat. I am avoiding hobgoblins (too many models) or K'daai (no models and too difficult for me to convert), but cannot settle on which warmachines to include to the army. Once I deduct for the Infernal Guard and Daemonsmith (which are set choices for me), I am left with ~467 points.

When it comes to other choices, the Hellcannon and Dreadquake are both >200 points, but could add a huge punch to the army. Hellbound makes the warmachine's attacks magical and increases the number of wounds on the artillery, but it also suffers d3 wounds for each misfire.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Based on feedback from this year's event, I am exploring whether or not to return Invasion Kenosha back into a Warhammer Fantasy only convention. If that were to be the case, the schedule of events would look like such.

The price of everything is rising and as much as I hate to raise the cost of entry, I believe I will need to do such for next year. As of right now, I am estimating this would be the cost for entry into each tournament.

1600 Point Storm of Magic Tournament - $10.00 per player

2000 Point Standard Tournament - $20.00 per player

2400 Point Team Tournament - $30.00 per team

All Weekend Pass - $40.00 per player (includes entry into all three tournaments)

As always, I am open to ideas and feedback. I am looking to announce the official schedule and registration dates in late December, so there is still plenty of time to become involved and have a voice in making Invasion Kenosha IV the best convention in Southeast Wisconsin.

The Reason for this Place.

I have been in the hobby for over 25 years. During that time I have developed tournaments and events for some of the biggest conventions in the country. I enjoy the hobby as a casual form of escapism from the daily rigors of life and love. This site is intended to share my thoughts and ideas on the hobby while entertaining those kind enough to visit it.